Spring Foliage?

This is A. Palmatum Koto no Ito.

This seedling looks like lace when it's just leafing out.

This is Maiku Jaku.

Nice shots like the close up flowers on the other thread ...the Koto is really nice I've grafted about 6 that look like they all will take so in about 10 years maybe mine will look that nice ;>) David

Wow, David. How long have you been grafting trees?

DOSS just started this year JM's only... as a hobbie I don't want another biz. ...I really like it but am not very good YET ...hope to be soon!!! I'll send ya some photos of my amature graftings YIKES laughs optional!!!...David

Can't laugh at what I haven't tried. :-) I'd love to see your efforts!

Boy, I could spend waaay too much time on this subject. For all the wonderful fall colors JM's produce, it's the spring that I look forward to. We will have a spring this year, won't we?

Here's a early shot of Beni schichihenge with that great red/green mix.

This message was edited Apr 4, 2006 5:21 PM

This message was edited Apr 4, 2006 5:22 PM

Okay, now you've got me started. I was bored Sunday and decided to bring up a few Shishigashiras and Shin de shojos for display. They work really well together at this time of year and make for a stunning display as you enter the Nursery.

Wow are they stunning together. You are absolutely right. Breathtaking. Thank you SO much for posting these photos. Really great to combine foliage like that.

Doss - you should see the trees in their entirety. Unbelievable! I tried to get a good photo to post but there's just too much "noise" in the background and the trees get lost in the shuffle. I'll try again tomorrow from different angles. What I need is (besides photography lessons) a nice dark black blanket to drape behind them.

There are two Shishigashiras flanking a single Shin de shojo. Nice. The other side is a single Shin de shojo in front of a much larger, and now yellowish/gold-leaved, Katsura. Then again Shin de shojo in front of pretty much anything would work.

My Segai Bonfire at home is also insane this time of year and just doesn't seem to want to fade...I'm not complaining!

What a lovely thing to live in a forest of spring maples. I don't know about photography lessons. You seem to have a natural bent for the art side of it anyway.

Bonfire is beautiful with all the different colors in it's leaves. Can't wait to see a photo

My Beni Fushigi is almost the same color as the azalea blooming next to it but the leaves are very new. I'll photo it when it's in a little bit better leaf.

Is it spring ..hummm didn't notice mine are just now breaking buds..."suppose" to be in the 70's next week hummm maybe by then only good thing is all mine seemed to have survived the winter...but we are about 3-4 weeks behind you postin' guys ( and gals) oh well "soon come" as they say ...david

California is about a month ahead of the colder climes, you're right. That's one great thing about DG. When ours are winding down, you post your photos and it's like spring all over again!

Here's the Shin de shojos, Shishigashiras and Katsura. They even look good on yet another rainy day...

david, you think you are behind.....most of my JM are still half buried in snow. It is early June before mine normally leaf. No wonder they grow twice as fast in CA and southern areas....they have nearly 3 months advance over mine.

It turns out that no one ever thought that Japanese Maples would get so big here. They only really began planting them in the 70's so they are just finding out how big a 30 year old tree really gets. There's a seedling maple at my nusery, planted in the ground, that is taller than the 2 story building next to it. So I plant an 11-15 foot tree and it gets 20. I'm getting smarter gradually though!

I'm in love Nursery dude! What's the name of your nursery and where is it. I think that it's OK to say if I ask.

We're in Belmont, right at the corner of Ralston and Alameda de las Pulgas. Kinda tough to find since we are buried in a shopping center.

Best bet is to hit our website and look under "Store Info -> General Info". It has a map showing where in the shopping center we are.

Website is www.carlmontnursery.com

Let me know when you're coming - I'd be happy to show you around.

Gary

This message was edited Apr 5, 2006 11:42 AM

I have some large jm's about 15 ft tall but scrawney compared to this . Here is the largest one I have ever seen atround here ..I'll try to get a spring shot of it soon...this was taken last winter...it's in back of a house bordered by a walgreens YUK!!! I am going to maybe gtraft some if it next year and collect seeds for rootstock cause it is defintly HARDY if the owners let me ;>)... Doss I know this will look tiny to you but for zone 5b this is humoungous and nice twisty trunk to boot ..probably a atroplurium seedling I guess David

I might add ...a good primer on where not to plant a specimin tree ;>) but I guess not everyone is blessed with a landscapable yard or nice house..youse got to deal with what you got but I think htis could have been done a bit better oh well not mine ..( he says enviously)..I am taking the photo from the rear of Walgreens near the drive through ;>) David

Thanks for the invitation Gary. Will get in touch when I can make it.

And that maple doesn't look tiny at all. It's breathtaking and I'm sure quite old. What a beautiful speciman. The branch structure is heavenly. Thanks for sharing it - even if it's parked in front of the travel trailer it's worth seeing.

Nurserydude, great pic, help this newbie out...which is which? Love the contrasts...

Laura

The tall yellowish one in the rear is a Katsura that has finished its spring show and is in the middle of "fading" to green.

The bright green, tight leaves are the Shishigashiras. They'll be dark green in a week or so.

The bright reds are the Shin de shojos. They're starting to fade (yes, they were brighter) but still putting on a good show.

And the green patch in the very upper right corner is the grass growing on our shed roof ;o)~

Gary, is Shin de Shojos spelled differently sometimes? Google refused to pull it up for me.

edited to say: I went to the your website and saw it. Spelled just like that. This is one fabulous tree!

This message was edited Apr 5, 2006 6:26 PM

Ya know....I'm in the midst of going to classes to learn Spanish (where "de shojo" would make sense) while learning Japanese one tree at a time.

Sorry 'bout that...it should be "Shin deshojo". Remove the space between "de" and "shojo". Or, even remove all spaces and call it "Shindeshojo".

PotAto...potato...let's call the whole thing off...

Seriously - Shin deshojo is a very amazing cultivar. Not only do you get the intense red in spring, but it then fades to a nice green in summer except that there is always a red overcast to the whole tree where the sun hits it. Never a dull moment with this one.

It stays short, fat and round, almost more of a big bush than a tree.

To switch gears a bit, have you seen the new "Ruslyn In The Pink"? Similar somewhat but more pink on the new growth and the late summer flush of growth has been likened to a tree in bloom! Quite a show!

Wow, hard to believe the Shin deshojo was even brighter. The Vertrees book separates it into two words. Although photos can be deceiving, it is almost a bright pink against the other colors. I like the color of the Katsura too.

[pulling out "the list" and a pencil...]

Laura

I haven't seen Ruslyn In The Pink. Do you have it at the nursery? Sounds beautiful. How big does it get?

Yes, we have some small ones (7-gallon, about 4'-5' tall). The overall height is still a big question since they haven't been around long enough to see them full grown. The estimates from the grower is that it will be around 14' when mature. When I get back to the office on Saturday I'll post a pic. Of course it'll be the same pic from the website so you can go there if you want - just use the maple selector to find it.

I found it right away on the tree finder. It is one spectacular tree. Almost looks like it has red grafts onto it. Thanks for pointing it out.

So I'm wandering around the plant finder and I notice Kurabu yama. It looks spectacular. Does it get 15 feet wide also?

Here's a photo for everyone.

http://www.carlmontnursery.com/product.asp?product_id=538

Here's my take on Kurabu yama. I got ahold of that fall picture and could not wait to see what they did last year. Unfortunately is was nothing close to that, fall color wise. Now, to be fair, we got them fairly late in the season and they went from a colder Oregon climate to our mild (albeit warm) fall last year, so it's not totally fair to judge them yet. I just don't want to set an unrealistic expectation. We always let folks know as they come in that fall colors in our area can flucuate from year to year.

With that being said, I will say that Kurabu yama was, to me, by far one of the prettiest maples I have seen in awhile. It has a fairly tough leaf that holds out extemely well from the petioles. The tree in the midst of summer has a beautiful structure and appearance to it, hence we sold most of ours based on that. I know I have some good photos somewhere - I'll have to dig them up.

As for the spread, it is reported to spread more with age (JD Vertrees) but I can't say I've seen a mature one.

Sadly, these weren't on any of our growers lists this year so we were not able to bring in more. There is one lone soldier left from last year that just may end up in my yard ;-) (never get a job working with these things, it's addicting)

Beni Fushigi. It's flaming. Wish the photo were better.

This message was edited Apr 8, 2006 4:44 PM

Here's a close up of the foliage. This was taken in the shade.

doss, the leaves are unfurling like butterfly wings out of the cocoon. Nice pics.

Laura

This is Sherwood Flame

These photos are inspirational! Except for one lonely specimen in a pot, I'm Japanese-maple-free. Seeing and reading all this makes me think I could find a spot for chartreuse-y or purple-foliage one. Any suggestions in the dwarf range that would be suitable for a smallish front courtyard? Would like to keep the height under 10ft if possible. Thanks.

Doss: I love the leaf arrangement on Sherwood Flame. And is that spring color only, or does it hold the purple foliage all season? Can you give me a quick CV, or should I stop being so lazy and look it up in Google?

Regan's has a 20% off sale right now through the end of the month on Japanese Maples.

Sherwood Flame
http://www.carlmontnursery.com/Page.asp?name=sherwood&Search=search&HeightIni=&HeightEnd=&Form=&Color=&Color_fall=&product_group=&Exposure=&page_id=82

Here's Suminagashi which is similar.
http://www.carlmontnursery.com/product.asp?product_id=554

Will your maple be in full sun or will it have shade in it's pot?

Mmm. I like both of those, Doss. Now that I really look at my site, though, I don't think it could handle the width even if it could handle the height. I guess I should research some dwarfs (dwarves?). The ideal thing would be a JP shrub, if one existed. I'd better get going on my research.

The maple I have in a pot has been in "mostly sun" — gets a.m. sun and until early to mid-afternoon, depending on time of year. When I put it in the ground it will have virtually the same exposure.

Uh-ho on the Regan's sale. I have a friend coming from out of town this week; maybe I'll take her nursery hopping!

A good shrub that likes the sun is Beni Fushigi. It's up above. It should make a 6 foot bushy tree and with old age spread, at least that's what I've been told.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/78105/index.html
It can be hard to find. It's on Carlmont Nursery's database and Regan's also has it on their list. It doesn't necessarily mean that they have one though.

There are others. If you want something red, Crimson Queen can stay small if it is kept in a pot. They are readily available also.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/66161/index.html
Don't pay attention to the first two green cultivars. Mine have never been green and one of them grows in total shade.

Any other suggestions you folks?

I agree that a crimson queen can be kept smallish. Mine is less than three feet tall by about 4 feet around and it is almost 8 years old now, and I planted it as mostly a twig. The only trimming that has been done is underneath on the dragging branches and by nature breaking off one small branch.

Laura